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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Review and Giveaway of The Violonist of Venice by Alyssa Palombo


Venice, music, wealthy families, secret meetings, and of course love.

Adriana had to sneak out of the palazzo for her violin lessons because her father forbade her to learn music.  He said it wasn't a woman's place to learn music.  According to her father a woman of her wealth was born only to marry a man of equal or greater wealth and have no interests of her own. 

Defying her father, Adriana secretly met, took violin lessons, and had an affair with Antonio Vivaldi the famous violinist who was called the Red Priest.

Imagine that? A priest and a wealthy young lady having a clandestine affair on the guise of having violin lessons.  Adriana would make me so nervous when she slipped out to see Antonio because her father was a very harsh man that would severely punish Adriana for not obeying even his smallest requests.  

What would he do if he found out about this affair when he was trying to "marry off" his daughter to a wealthy merchant. 

As you read THE VIOLINIST OF VENICE, you will be totally drawn into the lives of the d'Amato family and join in socially with them and other wealthy merchants.  You will also see how these families treated their own family members and servants.  Not always a pleasant situation.

Ms. Palombo writes with wonderful description, memorable as well as unlikable characters, and most of all an unforgettable love story.

THE VIOLINIST OF VENICE is a beautiful, mesmerizing book that takes us to the romantic city of Venice during the 18th Century. 

THE VIOLINIST OF VENICE is a marvelous, alluring, seductive debut novel with impeccable research that had me wanting to know more about Antonio Vivaldi.  

ENJOY!!!  What about that gorgeous cover?  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

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About The Author:





ALYSSA PALOMBO has published short historical fiction pieces in Black Lantern, Novelletum, and The Great Lakes Review. She is a recent a graduate of Canisius College with degrees in English and creative writing, respectively, as well as a trained classical musician. The Violinist of Venice is her first novel. She lives in Tonawanda, New York.

Author Website:  

http://alyssapalombo.com/about/

Amazon:  

http://www.amazon.com/Violinist-Venice-Story-Vivaldi/dp/1250071496/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448049867&sr=1-1&keywords=the+violinist+of+venice  

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GIVEAWAY: 

CONTEST HAS ENDED
OUR WINNER IS:
JENNIFER #8 

USA and Canada

December 17 to December 24

Enter Here 




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21 comments:

  1. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 7:55 AM

    I really enjoyed this book.

    I hope you get to read it.

    Good luck in the giveaway.

    Thanks for stopping.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CarmenDecember 17, 2015 at 9:05 AM

    Sounds like a great concoction: classical music, affairs, history...What's not to like?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 9:40 AM

      I agree.

      Everything is fantastic.

      Thanks for stopping, Carnen.

      Delete
  3. StefanieDecember 17, 2015 at 1:40 PM

    I'm glad this was a great read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 1:45 PM

      Oh...I really enjoyed it.

      Thanks for stopping, Stefanie.

      Delete
  4. UnknownDecember 17, 2015 at 4:45 PM

    I like that there's character depth making them memorable. I tend to be character focused. :)
    @dino0726 from 
    FictionZeal - Impartial, Straightforward Fiction Book Reviews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 5:02 PM

      Oh...I definitely am character focused too.

      Thanks for stopping, Diane.

      Delete
  5. OnDBookshelfDecember 17, 2015 at 8:21 PM

    All I could think of when you said a priest and a girl having an affair is TheThorn Birds, one of my favorite books. If this one even reminds me a little bit of that book, it'll be a winner.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 8:27 PM

    It was a winner.

    I totally forgot about The Thornbirds. I loved that book.

    Thanks for stopping, OnDBookshelf.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kathryn TDecember 17, 2015 at 9:02 PM

    Sounds good, although totally nervous of what might become of Adriana.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 9:08 PM

      It was nerve wracking, but the book was very good.

      I love learning about the lives of famous people in fiction instead of a memoir. :)

      I think you would like the book, Kathryn.

      Thanks for stopping.

      Delete
  8. Jennifer Tar Heel ReaderDecember 17, 2015 at 9:34 PM

    I love historical fiction, and I've not read a book about a musician in this genre. This sounds fascinating to me. Also great is the author is musician, too. I totally agree about the gorgeous cover!

    ReplyDelete
  9. ElizabethDecember 17, 2015 at 9:54 PM

    The musician himself is fascinating. I am not musical at all, but apparently Antonio Vivaldi was a genius.

    I actually looked up some of his creations and listened to them. Beautiful classical music.

    The storyline was wonderful.

    I hope you get to read the book.

    Thanks for stopping, TarheelFIT1.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jennifer Tar Heel ReaderDecember 18, 2015 at 6:22 PM

      I've listened to Vivaldi - it's really beautiful stuff, I agree! :)

      Delete
    2. ElizabethDecember 18, 2015 at 8:47 PM

      I looked him up and listened to the music mentioned in the book.

      It was beautiful.

      Thanks for stopping, TarheelFIT1

      Delete
  10. AnonymousDecember 18, 2015 at 8:17 PM

    I sooo want to read this book! Even more so now that I've read your review. It has all the elements I enjoy and a great setting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 18, 2015 at 8:48 PM

      Oh....I know you will love the book, Laura.

      The setting is perfect.

      Thanks for stopping, Laura.

      Delete
  11. SerenaDecember 19, 2015 at 9:34 PM

    I hope I win this one! Thanks for the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 19, 2015 at 9:43 PM

      Good luck, but you will have to talk to Random.org. LOL!!

      Thanks for stopping, Serena.

      Delete
  12. Tanya @ Moms Small VictoriesDecember 20, 2015 at 7:00 PM

    I love historical fiction based on real people and I love that this one explores the life of a composer. Thanks for the chance to win it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElizabethDecember 20, 2015 at 7:36 PM

      I think you would love it, Tanya, based on your likes.

      Thanks for stopping, and good luck in the giveaway, Tanya.

      Delete